Taos Clouds - SWF

'Just floating on by'

Double click to see more detail

To see other fabulous skies or join the best weekly meme on the web, go to the Skywatch site.

2010 Highlights

After some reflection and in no particular order, these are my memorable highlights for the year 2010

Falling in love with New Mexico, truly the 'Land of Enchantment', I'll be back regularly

 

Realising a long held dream of starting my own photography business

Which resulted in being paid to do fun stuff like this

Becoming an AMERICAN!

 

Being a screaming teen' again for one night only, with a girlfriend at Adam Lambert in OKC!

Enjoying more success than ever in photography exhibits and competitions

Being stunned by unexpected treasures one Saturday in a local exhibit (more to come on this)

Celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary with this very special man, I(L)U

Successfully tiling my own kitchen backsplash at first attempt and getting new countertops

Enjoying a monthly 'girls night out' with colleagues

Spending time back in the homeland

Receiving a Kindle and taking my reading everywhere

Coming around a bend, to be met by this view!

Spending invaluable quality time with my dad

Not bad memories for one year!

My World - Taos B&B

I made a last minute booking through Expedia and we got a great deal at the San Geronimo Lodge in Taos for our visit.

It was just utterly charming and felt like home from the moment we arrived.

There are so many special touches that put it in a different class to your big name motels.

It was built in 1925 and was the first 'resort' hotel in Taos. The current owners took it over 3 years ago and have been renovating and improving since. It helps they are artistically inclined and have exquisite taste.

It is furnished in a relaxed, country house style with antiques and artwork throughout. The whole of the ground floor is open for the use of the guests, even the piano and a guitar, which the Hubster utilised.

Being a traditonal Adobe construction, there are many great features to enjoy. I fell in love with the blue sconces in this room.

It is just a Bed & Breakfast, but the breakfast is special. You eat here in the dining room and there is a different homecooked selection daily. We had their special recipe Blueberry Pancakes, Pepper Bacon and Baked Eggs which were all delicious.

The morning we were there, they had a classical guitarist playing a concert for the guests as they ate. But most mornings Charles the owner plays piano, he is an artist and did the paintings in this room. The one on the right here is of him and his wife on their wedding day!

The grounds are also lovely and there to be enjoyed. There is a pool, terrace and hot-tub for the guests and all the 17 rooms either have a balcony or terrace available for use.

This was our terrace outside our room, we sat here late at night enjoying the peace and a drink before retiring. The Lodge is a mile outside town down a quiet road, so there is no noise from the local area and views of the mountains all around.

We had an Adobe style gas fireplace on our room, plus the traditional thick walls kept the room at a comfortable temperature. We also had a great nights sleep thanks to the very comfortable bed.

The owners have put in some very personal touches. This meditation circle is one, the idea being you walk it's 1/4 mile length and relax. The sound of a creek next to it only adds to the atmosphere.

There is also a Prayer Path meandering through the grounds with stopping points all along it with positive words and a seat, to just sit and contemplate life.

We struck gold with the San Geronimo Lodge and will definitely return there in the future. If you are headed to Taos, we would recommend it without hesitation.

Now I want to live in an Adobe and LOVE this style!

Next week the Taos Pueblo World Heritage site.

To see some great sights around the globe or join in the fun, go to My World Tuesday

But please don't be put off by the bullet marks!!

My World - Taos Plaza

Taos Plaza dates to the late 1700s when the Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant was ceded to the settlers from the Taos Pueblo in 1796 by Don Fernando de Chacon, Governor of New Mexico.

Taos Plaza served for decades as the central meeting place in the valley and survived numerous fires that destroyed several older buildings. Most of the buildings around the Plaza are old; however, since Taos has always been plagued by fires, none of the Plaza's buildings predate the 19th century. The covered gazebo was donated by heiress and longtime Taos resident Mabel Dodge Luhan.

Taos Plaza has the distinction of being the first place in the United States, by tradition, to fly the United States Flag both day and night.

In 1861, Southern sympathizers repeatedly tore down the flag flying over the Plaza. Captain Smith Simpson with the help of Kit Carson, Ceran St. Vrain, and others nailed the flag to a tall cottonwood pole and raised it over the Plaza, with the threat that anyone who molested the flag would be shot. 

To assure it was not torn down, the group went to St. Vrain's nearby store and took turns standing guard over the flag day and night. Since the flag was nailed to the cottonwood, it could not be lowered at dark.

When military officials in Santa Fe learned of the incident, they permitted Taos to fly the flag twenty-four hours a day. Congress later granted official permission to fly the flag at Taos Plaza round-the-clock, only one of a few places in the country to do so. (History courtesy of Wikipedia)

We enjoyed a delicious outdoor lunch just off the Plaza at the Bent Street Cafe, situated in a popular shopping street.

This whole area is a tourist shopping mecca, although as with many of these places you have to sort the chinese imports from the genuine articles!

Every side street is not only picturesque, but offers a good selection of shopping and eating choices, or just somewhere to rest weary feet!

There are some really gorgeous courtyard gardens with prestigious art galleries and jewelry stores overlooking them.

And every building in the town centre is constructed in the Adobe style of the area.

There are also colourful murals to catch the eye. We spent the afternoon soaking it all up and partaking of some shopping - perfection!

And at any given time the foothills of The Rockies are just a glance away.

Next week - the historic Adobe B&B we stayed in.

To see some great sights around the globe or join in the fun, go to My World Tuesday

My World - Roadtrippin'

We decided to take a road trip this long weekend.

So we took off across the "flat as a pancake" Oklahoma Panhandle and headed into New Mexico, a first for me. We left the Plains behind and sped into the foothills of The Rockies near Cimmarron.

It's been 5 long years since I saw anything resembling a mountain, so there were alot of "wows" to be heard as they came into sight. I guess I hadn't realised how much I missed this kind of scenery until now.

We stopped in the Cimmarron State Park at the Palisades Sill, the cliff views here are quite stunning, as is the peace and quiet. You drive about 20 miles through the mountains and it's breathtaking all the way.

It was also nice to see so much green coming from dry arid NW Okieland!

We found a beautiful creek to stretch our legs and take a break from the road, as our travel time was over 7 hours door to door.

As we drove out of the State Park, we were met by this gorgeous view looking down on Eagles Nest, a New Mexico mountain town that reminded me alot of Switzerland.

We sped on through the valley enjoying the vistas.

This whole area has many popular ski resorts and we stopped to enjoy the views of the Angel Fire resort, where you can clearly see the ski runs.

Then we headed into the Kit Carson State Park, which is more populated than the Cimmarron and has many eyecatching log cabin homes to admire. Maybe if we win the lottey someday, but as the Hubster pointed out "first we need to play it"!

And our final destination - Taos, New Mexico a picturesque and famous Pueblo town, which I'll post about next week.

Double click any pic to see more detail

To see some great sights around the globe or join in the fun, go to My World Tuesday